Cruel Capers on the Caribbean: A Kate on Vacation Mystery (The Kate on Vacation mysteries) by Kassandra Lamb

seem to suspect her gentleman friend.”
    “Are you going with them to the station?” Rob asked.
    The doctor nodded. “They said they’d give me a ride back to the ship.”
    Rob turned to the others. “I’ve been to Key West before. You all go on without me. I’ll catch up later.”
    Kate chewed on her lower lip, reluctant to abandon Clem, especially since it was probably their phone call to the lawyer that had set all this in motion.
    Rob gave her a stern look, then his face softened. “They’re not going to let you anywhere near him. Let me handle it. I’ll call you when I know anything.”
    She allowed herself to be led away by Skip. As they walked away from the dock, she glanced back. The young woman from their table in the dining room was standing at the ship’s railing. She was watching the hubbub centered around Clem.
    Kate felt a pang of pity for the girl. Honey, you never really did have a shot at getting his attention.
    “Let’s find a coffee shop and regroup,” Liz said.
    They wandered around for a few minutes.
    “I don’t see any coffee shops but this place has free wireless.” Liz pointed to a sign in the window of a bar.
    Skip narrowed his eyes at her. “Why do you need an Internet connection?”
    Liz gave him an innocent smile. “I just want to see what’s hit the news so far.”
    They settled around a table and ordered coffee. They waited in silence until the waitress brought a fistful of mugs and a pot of coffee to their table. After she’d poured the brew into their cups, Liz gestured for her to lean in closer. “I don’t mean to sound judgmental, but are those people over there drinking beer at nine in the morning?”
    The waitress chuckled. “A lot of locals consider any hour to be cocktail hour.”
    Liz shrugged, then pulled her tablet out of her oversized purse and set it on the table. She started tapping on its screen.
    They sipped their coffee for a few minutes. Finally Liz looked up. “Nada. They’ve managed to keep a lid on it so far.”
    Kate breathed out a long sigh. “Good. Clem’s life will never be the same if it comes out that he’s suspected of killing Cora, and he’d have no shot of getting custody of her daughter, even if he’s acquitted.”
    Skip cocked his head at her. “Why are you so sure he’s innocent?”
    “I’m not completely sure.” Kate hesitated, wondering if she should mention that she’d thought his pupils had been dilated the other day. “He seems genuinely devastated by her death. Either he’s innocent or he’s a very good actor.”
    “Humph,” Skip said. “He writes screen plays so he probably hangs out with actors. Could be he’s learned a few tricks of the trade.”
    Kate opened her mouth to tell them that Clem might be using drugs.
    “My money’s on that Fredericks dude,” Liz said. “I think he’s a hit man hired by Cora’s husband.”
    “But how would he know about the secret compartment in the closet?” Skip asked.
    Liz cocked her head to one side. “Maybe he didn’t. He looks pretty fit, and if he’s a hit man he’d probably have the skills and the nerve to swing to another balcony. Maybe the compartment’s a coincidence.”
    Skip opened his mouth.
    Kate smiled at him. “I know, you’re allergic to coincidences, but they do happen.”
    Skip gave her a mock frown. “I was going to remind you all that Cora was probably killed during the day, while we were docked at Cozumel. I doubt the killer did any swinging from balconies in broad daylight.”
    “Maybe he hid in the cabin,” Liz said, “until we left port and it was dark.”
    Skip shook his head. “I think our killer went through that compartment. The fact that the side was broken out of it and then repaired, that’s just too big a coincidence. But it’s possible the hit man cased Cora’s cabin ahead of time and found the compartment.”
    Kate nodded. “That could’ve happened the first day, while we were at the spa.”
    “Fredericks wouldn’t fit